Tokyo Ghoul: Countered
by the-wondrous-mango
Summary: The CCG has discovered Kaneki's secret, but they don't want to exterminate him. Instead, the CCG has a proposition...
1. Tokyo Ghoul: Countered

**A/N: Even though this is a hypothetical scenario fanfiction, all events take place pre-Aogiri Tree.**

Kaneki flew backwards onto the hard concrete, his back aching as he hit the ground. As a ghoul, he might have had an advanced healing factor, but that didn't keep him from feeling pain.

"Touka!" he groaned. "Don't be so rough!"

"You think that was rough? Try taking a hit from Yomo. _That's_ rough." she replied.

"Well, don't, okay? My stupid kagune won't come out." Kaneki pulled himself up off the ground.

"Your kagune won't come out because you never eat anything except those sugar cubes. We talked about this already-you can't expect to be strong when you never eat anything."

"Ugh...yeah, I guess," Kaneki mumbled, still a bit revolted at the idea of eating human meat. "Whatever. Let's just keep going."

"We can't. It's getting late, Yomo will probably be here any minute. We have to run an errand."

"Ah." Kaneki nodded, having himself run an "errand" with Yomo before.

Touka and Kaneki walked over to the ladder that connected Anteiku to the old underground Ghoul tunnels, and climbed up back into the cafe.

"Nobody's coming to get food tonight or anything, so just clean up the cafe or something." Touka advised him. Her phone suddenly beeped, and she pulled it from her pocket. "Yomo's waiting out front. I'll be back later."

She walked out to Yomo's car, leaving Kaneki all alone in the cafe. He obeyed her instructions and cleaned the kitchen.

Kaneki soon grew bored, however, and brewed himself a coffee before sitting down to keep reading his Sen Takatsuki novel.

Kaneki thought it felt a bit eerie, sitting all alone in a cafe that was usually bustling with both human and Ghoul customers. The lights were dimmed to save electricity, adding to the creepiness. But the minutes passed uneventfully.

Suddenly, however, Kaneki was startled by a loud banging on the door. At first, he thought it might have been Touka, that maybe the doors had just been locked and she wanted to get inside.

But as Kaneki approached the door, his heart lept into his throat. Standing outside the door, was a tall figure wearing a long tan coat and carrying a briefcase-an Investigator.

There was a Dove at Anteiku.


	2. Tokyo Ghoul: Countered (Pt 2)

A Dove. At Anteiku.

Kaneki stared at the man outside, his heart pounding so hard he thought it might burst from within his chest.

Against his better judgement, he reached and opened the door. He could see the Dove more clearly now. It was a shorter man with long, greasy hair.

"Good evening...Ken Kaneki." the man's voice was raspy and harsh. "I'm Kureo Mado. Let's talk."

Mado strode over to a table and sat down. Kaneki stared, terrified. Touka or Mr. Yoshimura had to be getting back soon. Maybe they'd save him.

Kaneki knew he had no chance of fighting Mado alone, if the briefcase was a quinque like he suspected. Kaneki had never seen one, but Mr. Yoshimura had told him that they were weapons made from the kagune of dead Ghouls.

"Aren't you coming?" Mado cackled. "If you don't want to talk to me, you can talk to my _friend_ instead!" he patted his briefcase.

Kaneki swallowed nervously, but sat down at the table with Mado. "W-what do you want?"

"I understand that there was an incident. With a Miss Rize Kamishiro, correct?

 _He knows about the date._ Kaneki fought to hold back tears as he nodded.

"Our investigations have led us to the fact Miss Kamishiro was the Binge Eater Ghoul. Her organs were transplanted into you, were they not?

Kaneki nodded again, but this time the tears came through.

"We have no intentions of hurting you, as long as you cooperate."

"No-you're gonna kill me!" Kaneki cried.

"There is a top-secret initiative being undertaken at Headquarters." Mado said, ignoring Kaneki's distress. "A squad of Investigators compromised entirely of Ghouls is being assembled."

"What? Ghouls wouldn't kill their own kind!"

"You're more naïve than I expected. Ghouls are cruel and evil-they'll do anything to save themselves."

"That's not true! Ghouls can be kind and loving just like humans-"

"I'm not interested, Mr. Kaneki. If you choose to join this squad, you will work for the CCG. You will eat meat provided by us, and face no legal repercussions for it. Of course, if you step out of line...you will be promptly terminated."

"What if I don't join?"

"Well, then, Mr. Kaneki, every one of Anteiku's staff will get to meet my little friend!" he cackled loudly again, and it almost echoed in the empty cafe.

Kaneki's heart thumped faster than he ever thought possible. Everyone at Anteiku would die if he didn't accept Mado's offer.

But Mado could be bluffing. Maybe he was just going to kill them all anyway.

 _No,_ Kaneki thought. _I can't take the risk. He might be lying, sure, but their lives are too important._

"Anteiku will still be allowed to operate?"

Mado nodded. " We will turn a blind eye to Anteiku, but I can't guarantee that an Investigator will not kill any staff who are caught hunting or in any other Ghoul activity."

Kaneki simply nodded, tears streaming down his face. He'd betrayed them. Touka would hate him forever if he worked with the CCG.

"Okay," he whispered even as his inner voice screamed at him not to. "l'll do it."

It all became a blur from there. Mado led Kaneki outside and into a black CCG van, and as they began to drive away, Kaneki looked out the window and saw Yomo's car come around the corner towards Anteiku.

"I'm so sorry," Kaneki whispered to both nobody and everybody.


	3. Tokyo Ghoul: Countered (Pt 3)

**A/N: Sorry this chapter took longer than usual to come out.** **I was going to split it into two parts to stay on schedule, but I thought it'd be better to keep it as one big part. Anyway, Chapter 4 will be out in 2-3 days.**

Kaneki stared out the car's back window, watching Anteiku slowly become a speck in the distance. He didn't speak to Mado, and neither did Mado speak to him.

The drive to the CCG felt like an eternity. Kaneki couldn't help but wonder why they would want him for some secret Investigator team, especially if he really was as weak as Touka said.

 _Touka..._ Kaneki began to cry again. He'd betrayed her. He'd betrayed everyone at Anteiku. And he didn't even know if Mado would keep his word.

They finally arrived at the CCG headquarters. Mado led Kaneki into the lobby, and they passed through a metal gate. An RC detector, just like the one at the 20th Ward office. It hadn't beeped then, and didn't now either.

Kaneki followed Mado through the Headquarters' many winding corridors. The further they walked, the more empty the halls became, until they were the only ones remaining.

Finally, they stopped outside a door. Two guards stood outside, wearing heavy body armor and holding large rifles. The door was metal, unlike most of the other ones they'd passed.

Mado pulled a key card from his coat pocket and unlocked the door, before abruptly shoving Kaneki inside and closing the door behind him.

"Hey!" Kaneki yelled. "Let me out!"

There was no response.

Kaneki sighed, and slumped down next to the door. He wanted to cry again, but couldn't.

The walls were plain white, and the room was empty except for a cot. It dawned on Kaneki that this would probably be where he lived for the rest of his life, however long that would be.

Escape plans raced through his mind, but he knew they were always going to remain fantasies. His kagune was weak now, and the two guards could take him out easily.

After a few miserable hours, Kaneki heard the lock on the door click. It opened, and a guard entered the room.

He held a small packet, not unlike the ones Mr. Yoshimura gave out at Anteiku.

"Eat." the guard said, before dropping the packet on the ground.

"W-what?" Kaneki stammered. "Where did you get it?"

"That is none of your concern," the guard replied evenly. "Eat it."

Kaneki shook his head. "I'm not hungry." he mumbled. But he _was_ hungry. Touka was right, he never had eaten much more than the sugar cubes.

He remembered the alley, when the corpse that Ghoul had been feeding on smelled like his mother's cooking. The meat in front of him now smelled just like that now too. He inched closer to it.

From beneath his eyepatch, he felt a slight twinge-his kakugan. He stumbled backwards from the meat, startled by the sensation. "Please, really, I'm not hungry!" he gasped in a desperate effort to maintain his self-control.

Suddenly the guard leaned forward, and yanked off Kaneki's eyepatch. "Sure doesn't look like it, freak."

The meat smelled more tantalizing than ever now. Kaneki picked it up and began to unwrap it, his hands trembling wildly. He pulled a small chunk of the meat off and, without thinking, put it into his mouth.

There had never been a flavor simultaneously so delicious and so revolting. He spat it out almost instantneously, now aware of what he had done. The taste of blood still lingered on his tongue. "There!" he exclaimed. "I'm done eating."

The guard sighed, and picked up the rest of the packet. "Fine." the guard sighed. He picked it up and left the room, the metal door swiftly closing behind him.

A few moments later, the lights went out, leaving the room in an inky darkness. Kaneki could only guess this meant that he was supposed to sleep now, and he made his way over to the cot.

The cot was rough and uncomfortable, but he soon fell into a restless sleep. Through the night, visions of his "date" with Rize tormented him.

He awoke a few hours later in a cold sweat. The guard who had brought the meat the previous night was alright waiting in the doorway. Kaneki couldn't help but wonder how long he had been standing there.

"You're wanted," the guard said coldly. He motioned his rifle towards the hall. "Come on."

Kaneki followed the guard through the hallways, and they eventually arrived at an elevator. They stepped inside and the guard pressed a button-the one that would take them all the way to the basement.

The elevator descended quickly, and they were soon at the basement. It was not dark and dingy as Kaneki had expected, but clean and well-lit. There was one other door at the opposite end of the room, guarded just like his quarters had been.

Despite this, he still worried. Maybe they were just taking him somewhere private to kill him. _But then why would they have fed me?_ Kaneki thought.

The of the guards stationed outside the door opened it, and gestured for Kaneki to go inside. He did, and it shut behind him.

Immediately he was shoved against a wall by an unseen force, and his arms were pulled behind his back. Kaneki cried out in terror-this had to be the end.

Whoever had grabbed him burst into laughter. "Oh, man!" the voice said. "I thought Ghouls were supposed to be tough."

His heart still pounding, Kaneki laughed nervously. "Uh...yeah. Ha."

"Take a seat." the voice laughed again, and let Kaneki go.

He took a look around the room-five chairs were lined up in front of a stage, all of which but one on the end were taken. On the stage stood someone Kaneki had hoped to never see again-Mado. He looked just as ghoulish as before, with a sadistic glint in his eyes. There was another man too, one he hadn't seen before.

Kaneki sat down in the last remaining chair, next to a man with short purple hair.

Without being asked, the man suddenly introduced himself. "Hello," he said. "I'm Shuu Tsukiyama."


	4. Tokyo Ghoul: Countered (Pt 4)

"Oh. Hi, I'm Kaneki." he replied.

"Well, nice to meet you, Kaneki." Tsukiyama replied. Tsukiyama stopped and sniffed the air. "You smell...intriguing. Not like any other Ghoul I've ever met."

"Uh, thanks?" Kaneki replied. _This Tsukiyama guy is kinda weird,_ he thought.

He didn't have much time to consider what Tsukiyama had said, as suddenly a voice came from up on the stage. Kaneki recognized it as Mado's. "Now that we're all here, let's get started," He nodded to the other man on the stage. "This is my assistant, Mr. Kotaro Amon."

Kotaro nodded to Mado. "Thank you, sir."

"Yes. Now, as I was saying, you've all been brought here for a very special purpose-"

"A mass extermination?" a voice piped up. Kaneki looked to figure out who had spoken, and saw that one of the other captive Ghouls, a girl who couldn't have been older than nineteen, had risen from her seat.

"Sit down." Amon said, his voice harsh and commanding.

But the girl didn't listen. "Just admit it! You're going to kill every single one of us!You Doves are sadistic bastards!"

"Sit. DOWN!" Amon roared.

"No! I'm not dying, not today!"

Kaneki watched in terror as the girl activated her kakugan and kagune, and charged the stage where Amon and Mado stood. Time seemed to slow down as one of the guards who had been standing by the door aimed his rifle and fired, his bullet landing in the back of the girl's head.

She fell in a heap just a few feet in front of the Investigators, her kagune already beginning to disappate. Amazingly, there was little blood. Neither Amon nor Mado seemed fazed.

Mado gestured to the same guard who had fired the gun, and he came forward.

"Excellent work. Take her down to the lab, tell them I want a new quinque." Mado said.

The guard beamed. "Thank you, sir!" Kaneki recognized the voice-it was the same guard who had only a few minutes earlier been teasing him. Now he was a cold blooded killer. _No_ , Kaneki thought. Surely he had done this before. There was no distress in his eyes whatsoever.

Once the guard had hauled the body away, Mado began his talk once again. "Apologies for the interruption. You've all been brought here for a special purpose."

Mado gestured to a man sitting by a computer next to the stage, and a sketch of a Ghoul wearing a simple black mask was projected onto the wall behind the stage. "This is the Phantom." Amon explained. "An SSS rate Ghoul who's killed four CCG Investigators and critically wounded another. Your job is to kill this Ghoul, no matter the cost."

"You will be paired together, and supervised by either Amon or I. As per what was discussed, we both reserve the right to terminate any of you at any time."

"I suppose it was convienent then that that girl died! I was worried the groups would be uneven!" Mado laughed. "Amon, I'll take these two," he continued, gesturing to the other two Ghouls. "You can handle a one-eyed and the Gourmet, I hope?"

"Of course, sir." Amon replied.

"Good. Dismissed!" Mado called out. He instructed the other two Ghouls to follow him, and away they went.

"Hey, Tsukiyama. Why did Amon call you 'The Gourmet'?" Kaneki asked.

Tsukiyama held back a snort. "Because I _am_ a gourmet!"

"How can you be a gourmet when Ghouls only eat one food?"

"Human meat is amazingly versatile! There are many different parts, different flavors to experience.You have much to learn about the culinary arts, Kaneki."

"Both of you!" Amon called out. "I'm sure you're having a fascinating conversation, but we have work to do. Come on."


	5. Tokyo Ghoul: Countered (Pt 5)

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait between chapters. I have been busy with school and other stuff. But I promise that you can expect more consistent updates from now on. Thank you again for reading, and please enjoy!**

Amon led Kaneki and Tsukiyama back through the CCG's halls, and out the front door. Not one of the guards followed them. Strangely, the RC detector gate did not beep when either Kaneki or Tsukiyama passed through it. They were ushered into a car that waited for them at the front of the headquarters, and away they went.

"Why didn't the RC detector go off? Tsukiyama is a Ghoul, right?" Kaneki asked.

"The gate was temporarily deactivated to avoid panic. This operation is entirely top-secret. The public would be infuriated if they discovered that the CCG was working _with_ Ghouls." Amon answered, sounding distinctly annoyed.

"I have a question as well, Monsieur Amon," Tsukiyama said suddenly.

"Yes, what is it?"

"What is stopping me from killing you right now?"

"Absolutely nothing. But I would advise you to look behind us," Both Kaneki and Tsukiyama looked out the windows to see that two black SUVs were tailing them. "Those cars are filled with Investigators. Every one of them has a quinque. And they will gladly erase scum like you from the face of the earth, Gourmet."

"Fine! No need to be so rude."

They all were silent for the next twenty minutes, until Amon finally pulled into a dilapidated and empty parking garage.

"We received a tip that the Phantom was spotted here. I have a hunch that this may be where he lives. Your job is to find any evidence that that might be the case," Amon reached back into the car to find a bag, from which we pulled two cameras. "Call me or another investigator over if you find anything interesting."

"Alright-" Kaneki was interrupted by Tsukiyama pulling him away from Amon. They walked together to a more empty part of the garage.

"So, Kaneki, how did they get you?" Tsukiyama asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You know. How did they get you to," Tsukiyama paused as if considering what to say. " _Participate_ in all this."

Kaneki's heart sunk again at the thought of his friends at Anteiku, who were no doubt worried awfully about him. "Oh...I don't really want to talk about it."

"No worries. I'm a bit embarrassed about this entire situation myself. But if it would make you more comfortable, I'll say." Tsukiyama paused once more, and Kaneki could only guess that this was to seem more dramatic. "They captured me when I was out hunting. If that man hadn't screamed so loudly, I would be enjoying a feast today instead of wandering around this filthy place."

"Yeah. That must've been rough." An awkward silence hung in the air. Kaneki cast a quick glance to the side, trying to avoid Tsukiyama's odd stare. Something was slightly sticking out from behind a corner. He approached it warily. But his worries soon disappated, as he saw it was only a sleeping bag.

But hadn't Amon asked him to mention if he found any evidence that someone lived here? Before he could call Amon over, he stopped suddenly. A strange scent came from the bag-no, not a strange scent-a _good_ scent. Dare he even say, delicious?

Kaneki knelt down next to the bag, and ran his hand over it. He soon came across a strange lump. Cautiously, he lifted the sleeping bag from the ground. Much to his horror, a human kidney wrapped in saran wrap sat on the cement in front of him.

Kaneki stumbled back, catching Tsukiyama's attention. He casually strolled over to the kidney. Picking it up, he brought it near to his face and smelled it, causing his kakugan to activate. "Not very fresh at all. Cold and fatty, too. This 'Phantom' must not have any taste buds."

"HEY!" a voice suddenly shouted at them from across the garage. Amon. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING WITH THAT?!"

Amon and two other Investigators ran over to them. "Are you insane? Tampering with evidence? What were you thinking?!" Amon yelled as he seized the kidney from Amon's hands. "Dammit...the fingerprints on here are going to be ruined now." he grumbled.

"Well, I mean, at least we have an idea of where the Phantom might have been, right sir?" one of the other Investigators said, as he held out a bag for Amon to place the evidence in.

"Yes, of course. Look for any Ghoul fluids." Amon groaned, exasperated. The other Investigator, now looking worried, nodded and got to work.

"Monsieur, if it may help, it should seem that this cut of meat is a few days old. You can see the decay is beginning to occur already. Whoever got this kidney hast been here for a while."

"Good to know." Amon mumbled as he pulled a notepad from his coat and began writing on it. All the while, the other Investigators stood around him, taking photos and notes, and talking fearfully among each other. Kaneki simply stood aside, in shock of the whole situation. He felt almost regretful that he had discovered the meat. Surely this 'Phantom' was just trying to survive, like all Ghouls did. Kaneki didn't want the blood of _anyone_ on his hands, Ghoul or human if the investigation meant that he would be forced to kill, or be killed...

 _Mado had better have kept his word._ Kaneki thought to himself. This was all for everyone at Anteiku. Touka, Mr. Yoshimura, Hinami, Yomo, and the rest. He had to protect them from the Doves, somehow.

"Amon, sir, wait," one of the other Investigators suddenly piped up. "Do you hear something?" The Investigators' whispering ceased. All was silent.

 _Thud. Thump._ The sounds quietly reverberated through the echoey garage.

"Damn! It sounds like it's in the staircase. Everyone get your quinques. We might have our guy. Hurry, and stay quiet!"

The Investigators dashed back to their SUVs as Amon had instructed, and retrieved their quinques. With amazing speed and precision, they concealed themselves in various positions throughout the garage. If not for the two cars, one wouldn't have suspected anyone was there. Kaneki and Tsukiyama quickly mimicked them, hiding together behind one of the support columns.

The staircase's metal door creaked open. A tall figure came through, dragging a heavy-looking garbage bag behind it. At first it seemed that the figure had no face, but then Kaneki realized-it was in fact wearing a simple, plain black mask. A Ghoul's mask.

 _It was the Phantom._


	6. Tokyo Ghoul: Countered (Part 6)

Kaneki inched further behind the beam, careful not to be seen by the Phantom. Tsukiyama only seemed amused by the situation.

He heard The Phantom grumble something incomprehensible, and there was another echoey thud.

Daring to take a look, Kaneki peeked his head out from behind the beam. He saw the Phantom just as he pulled off his mask, revealing his face. Whoever he was, had short black hair and a face clearly scarred by many battles with Doves and other Ghouls. The Phantom looked around the garage, finally taking note of the three cars. "Oh, damn," he laughed softly as he tossed his mask to the side. "Not this again."

"GO!" Amon screamed the order. The Investigators charged out from their hiding places. The Phantom was quick to react, quickly unleashing a blood-red bikaku kagune.

With a sharp turn, he moved to stab his kagune into the side of an attacking Investigator. The Investigator collapsed, most certainly now dead.

"You two! Do something!" another Investigator shouted at them as he dodged a strike from the Phantom.

Tsukiyama sighed impatiently, and released his kagune. It formed like a ribbon around his arm, and he swung, landing a quick cut across his thigh.

His heart pounding with adrenaline, Kaneki tried to summon his kagune as well. But the meat he had "eaten" wasn't enough. He could only stand by and watch as the Phantom cut down another Investigator. Time seemed to slow down as, with one powerful hit, he then shattered Amon's quinque.

"Shit! Amon yelled as he ran to avoid another swing. Reaching beneath his jacket, he fumbled for his holster. _Of course,_ Kaneki realized. _He must have a gun that uses those special bullets._ Amon fired once, barely grazing the Phantom's left leg.

"Boys, come on! Put some effort in! This is too easy, I want a challenge-" the Phantom's taunt was cut off as a barrage of bullets from Amon's gun found their place in his stomach.

He stilled, and his shirt began to turn a dark red. _"Hahaha..."_ The Phantom fell to the ground, laughing bitterly. His kagune disintegrated almost instantly.

When a minute had passed and the Phantom hadn't moved, an Investigator approached warily. He knelt down next to the Ghoul, and began to take vital signs. "There's a heartbeat, sir! He's breathing, too. We might be able to detain him at Cochlea if he gets medical attention in time." he said after a few seconds.

Tsukiyama simply sighed, and walked over to the dying Phantom. Before anyone could react, he swiftly stabbred downwards, impaling the Phantom on his kagune. "Cochlea is too good for that bastard." he declared.

Kaneki and the Investigators stared in shock. Tsukiyama withdrew his kagune from the body, and allowed it to disappear.

"Amon, sir...Tsukiyama is obstructing justice! He ruined the fingerprints, too! We could've kept the target alive! Let me terminate him-"

"No," Amon interrupted. "There was no need to keep the target alive. Thank you, Tsukiyama. Good work. Now let's get this cleaned up and report back." His breaths were long and heavy, and Amon seemed to have almost completely forgotten his anger towards Tsukiyama.

The Investigators stayed silent, but followed Amon's instructions. But one thing still puzzled Kaneki-what had been in the garbage bag?

Before an Investigator could haul it away, he approached it cautiously. A sickening feeling rose in his stomach as he noted its scent. He reached and undid the bright red knot that held the bag shut. Inside the bag was what appeared to be an entire human body, albeit horrificly mangled and contorted to fit inside. The delicious smell and the revolting sight confused Kaneki's senses, and he turned away to vomit on the cement. This caught the attention of Amon and the others.

"T-there's a body. It's bad-really bad." Kaneki stuttered in an attempt to explain what he had seen.

Amon came over to and looked into the bag. Though his face showed no revulsion, a look into his eyes would reveal that he too was disgusted and horrified. "Holy shit..." Amon mumbled. He took a deep breath and composed himself again. "Call some forensic staff out here to identify the body. Tsukiyama, Kaneki, you two come with me."


	7. Tokyo Ghoul: Countered (Part 7)

Amon, Kaneki, and Tsukiyama made their way back to the car. A team of 3 other Investigators filed into another car nearby, obviously to follow them back to the CCG.

Amon quickly shut the car door and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed a number, put it to his ear, and began to speak.

"Yeah. We got him. I've got some guys staying behind to do some more work, and a few forensic scientists will be out here soon." Amon paused to the listen to the other persons' voice. "Yes, of course. Let's regroup in the meeting room, then. See you soon." He hung up the phone, and drove the phone out of the parking garage.

The ride back to the CCG Headquarters felt just as long as the ride there, and for a while nobody said anything. But eventually, Kaneki finally worked up the nerve to speak. "Tsukiyama, why did you kill him? You seemed like you didn't care at all."

"Kaneki, you're too naïve for your own good. It's very easy after the first few times. Besides, one time I was out hunting this delightful specimen of a man...and that savage jumped out of the shadows and stole him right in front of me! I could've had a feast!"

"Oh, um...I can't really relate."

"What a shame. You mustn't rely on Anteiku alone for food...ah, perhaps I shouldn't have said that in front of Amon?"

"No. He knows." Kaneki grumbled. Hopefully Touka and the others were still safe. He had to get out of there eventually, if only for them.

"Hm. Let me guess, you don't want to talk about it?"

"I don't."

Nothing more was said for the rest of the trip. Amon drove around to the back of the building, before they all got out and went into a mostly unguarded exit. Two guards followed them back to the basement meeting hall, where Mado was waiting for them once more.

"Gentlemen! Back so soon!" Mado called out to them.

"Where are the Ghouls you were sent with?" Amon asked, ignoring Mado's previous statement.

"I didn't think there was any need for them anymore. We found and eliminated the target, did we not? The mission is over."

 _Is Mado going to kill us now too?_ The thought filled Kaneki with dread. He hung his head low, careful to avoid eye contact with either of the Investigators. There was a small but still bright red stain, from where the girl Ghoul had been killed earlier on the floor, and Kaneki was standing right on top of it. He shuddered.

"Sir, while I respect your judgement, that was wasteful. There are other cases this program might have been useful for."

"Hm, yes. Maybe. Anyway-your Ghouls, they behaved themselves? Worked hard? Mine didn't, that's why they're dead now."

"Tsukiyama performed well. He was the one to actually eliminate the target. But Kaneki, he was of no help at all."

"I...what? I was the one that found the meat! We could've never known he was there otherwise!" Kaneki grew angry at Amon's accusation, but only because he knew it would mean certain death if they decided he was useless.

"One-eyes are rare, but we know they're strong. You did not display any physical ability, or bravery, during the fight." Amon replied coldly. "And yes, while it was wrong of Tsukiyama to alter the evidence, it's more important now than the target is eliminated.

"So be it. They're your responibility, Amon." Mado said. "Now tell me about those other cases you mentioned."

"Yes, I wanted to search for the Rabbit again."

Kaneki could not keep himself from instantly going pale. Touka. They were going to kill Touka.

"Mr. Kaneki, you don't look so well. Something wrong?" Mado asked.

"Oh, um, it's just, you know, the Rabbit's really dangerous. So I'm kind of scared to go hunt for them."

"As you should be. The Rabbit is a menace."

Kaneki suddenly realized something. If theh were still looking for the Rabbit, then Touka was still alive. Mado hadn't lied, or at the very least Touka had escaped extermination by the Investigators.

"Amon, have these two escorted back to their quarters. I have something to discuss with you. They can have a break for now."


	8. Tokyo Ghoul: Countered (Pt 8)

**A/N: Sorry again for not updating in a long time.** **I was under a lot of stress for a while and didn't want to rush out a crappy ending. But enjoy the last chapter of Tokyo Ghoul: Countered! Your support has been amazing, especially with this being my first fic. Thanks everyone so much!**

Two guards quickly came over. They separated Tsukiyama and Kaneki, leading them back to each of their quarters.

Though Kaneki dreaded having to go back his prison cell of a room, his exhaustion overtook him and he collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep immediately.

He was rudely awoken a few hours later by a kick in the stomach. Groaning, he looked up to see who had done it. Amon was standing over him, looking even more serious than usual.

"Get up. We need to go, right now!"

"What? Why?"

"No time to explain. Mado needs backup, right now."

He grabbed Kaneki forcefully by the arm and dragged him out of the room. Kaneki stumbled slightly behind, struggling to keep up with Amon's hurried pace. In no time at all, they were back in the headquarters' garage. Amon practically threw Kaneki, and then himself, into the car and drove off.

"Amon! Tell me what's going on!" Kaneki demanded.

"Dammit. Fine. Mado found the Rabbit, out by Kasahara Elementary." Amon responded, sounding distracted. Kaneki looked forward and saw that Amon was precariously weaving through the traffic at what felt like light speed.

"Slow down..." Kaneki muttered.

"Shut. Up!" Amon's snapped tensely. Kaneki cast a quick glance at him. His face was red and drenched in sweat. Amon had always been cool and composed, if not intense. But this was different now. Even Investigators had things that terrified them.

Amon's dread soon became contagious. _What if Touka doesn't forgive me? What if Hinami gets hurt? Oh God, this is all my fault..._ worried thoughts plagued Kaneki.

He let out a yelp of surprise when the car came to a screeching halt. "Get out of the car!" Amon shouted as he grabbed his quinque. Kaneki threw the door open and stumbled out as Amon ran off.

Kaneki's eyes were immediately drawn to the blood red of Touka's kagune. _Thank God,_ he thought. _She's_ _alive...and she's totally gonna kill me._

Kaneki focused his energy and unleashed his own kagune. Running towards the fight, he saw Amon swing his quinque at Touka. Hinami was hiding, tears streaming down her face.

She looked up at him. "K-Kaneki?!" she cried, her voice raw.

Touka had noticed Kaneki now. "You. Little. ASSHOLE!" she shouted at him as she dodged another strike from Amon.

"Agh! Sorry sorry sorry-" Kaneki stuttered out.

"Don't just stand there! Help me!" Touka yelled.

Kaneki nodded, and turned to face Mado. "Three new quinques..today must be my lucky day!" Mado laughed.

Kaneki gritted his teeth and charged at Mado, managing to land a cut on his face.

The surprise distracted Mado only for a moment, but that was all it took. Time seemed to slow down as Touka stabbed her kagune through Mado's stomach.

"Ha..." he wheezed out before collapsing to the ground in a heap.

"You BITCH!" Amon screamed. He ran at Touka, who reflexively blocked the swing of his quinque. Kaneki seized the opportunity, and struck Amon's back with his own kagune.

He let out a cry of pain, and fell to the ground. "Ghouls...I should've known. They're all the same. Mado was right. I should've just killed you when I had the chance." Amon gasped. He lifted his head, his hair and face now caked with dirt and mud. Amon looked Kaneki in the eyes. "Well played, you little punk." He laid his head back down and closed his eyes.

"Oh God. Please tell me he's not dead. I didn't mean to kill him!"

Touka sighed, and knelt down by Amon. Reaching her hand to his throat, she was silent for a moment. "No. His heart's still beating."

In the distance, police sirens rang out. "We need to leave now," Touka muttered. "Let's get out of here. Come on, Hinami."

Hinami crawled out of her hiding space. "What about Kaneki?" she sniffled.

Touka sighed and looked back at Kaneki. "Now's your chance. Convince me that I shouldn't kick your ass right now."

"They know about Anteiku. It's not safe there anymore." Kaneki began to cry. "I'm so sorry. They said they'd kill everyone if I didn't go with them."

Touka sighed. "Damn it." Kaneki swallowed nervously, but he could see her kagune was beginning to dissolve.

The sirens were growing louder now. "We've gotta leave!" Hinami said.

"Yeah...what are we waiting for?" Touka replied. "Let's go."


End file.
